The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-11-03
A CARD.

A CARD.
1t is at best a disagreeable task to cor
| rect misrepresentation made of ones
own business. The publishers of this
paper have carefully avoided obtrudine
their own business affairs upon its read
ers, and in this card, made necessary by
the misrepresentation OF Mr.. Kress Of
The Times, the departure from the rule
viii be only to the extent necessary tc
remove impressions he may possibly have
| produced. We have never boosted of the
circulation of The Pilot nor attempted
deception with reference to it. Indiffer.
entity edited as the paper is,-in fact this
part of the work is mora In the way OF
incident than regular emrloyment-we
| have felt that its circulation is hardly Ut
! to its merits, confessedly inferior as those
are acknowledged to be. The Pilot sui.
fers no more from being published in a
county in which reading the English text
is the exception and not the rule, than
do the other English papers.
We have no quarrel with Mr.. Kress's
methods of doing business and have
never paid any attention to his repeated
claims of having the largest circulation
in the county. 1t is bit of sophomore,
newspaper vanity; flatters him and de-
ceives no one. But when it comes to
visiting our patrons and seeking to di-
vert their business from The Pilot, claim
ing the paper has no circulation, those
who do business at this office need to
know the real facts.
Mr.. Kress states, or is reported to
have done so while soliciting business,
that The Pilot has only a circulation
OF go, gives DR.. Frazer as his au-
thority and states that DIR. Frazer
had 1t direct from the senior member
of this firm. The member of the firm
referred to has at various times spoken
OF the poor circulation of The Pilot and
of the other papers, but never with a view
of doing injury to any of them, and solely
to Illustrate that it is poor county in
which to make a reputation as '.jour-
nalist If the term may be profanated
by applying it to the editor of a local
paper 1t is highly probable indeed it
may not be doubted, seeing that he fur
nished the information to Mr.. Kress,-that
conversation of this nature was had
with DIR. Frazer though all recollection
of 1t is lost-which proves nothing be-
canse Of treacherous memory. T. can
hardly be true that such ar unqualified
statement was made; because it is untrue
1t may have been said that $50 was the
number who paid up promptly either in
advance or before the years subscription
had expired. That is perhaps a close
approximation to the number. It is
barely possible that that was an estimate
given of The Times circulation, and if so
it was very likely given in response to a
question.
The highest circulation The Pilot ever
reached was 1,150, and that contained a
great deal of bad timber which has since
been cut off. With but few exceptions
which will be noted, there is not a sub
scriber on the list who is not on willingly
and unsolicited. In the eight years and
few months that the paper has been I'M
der its present management, but four
persons were asked to subscribe by either
of the propnetors. Two friends secured
six more, and the business of soliciting
was stopped imperatively and perma-
nently. A few more may have come On
its list by mistake of the carrier in Ieav-
ing the paper at the house or Office of
subscribers who had changed their loca-
ton, and the new conner may have con-
tinued to receive it without protest, and
his name was put on the books when he
paid. 1t has the smallest exchange list
of any paper in the state, and the fewest
dead heads. Now we have proposition
to submit to Mr.. Kress after reviewing
some more Of his statements.
Messrs. Becker &c Teitgen were inform
ed by him that The Pilot bad only eight
subscribers at Osman. He says a paper
dealer informed him that The Times pur
chased far more paper than The Pilot.
Let the matter be disposed of as follows:
Let Mr.. Kress deposit 500 with any
reliable party, The Pilot Office will de-
post similar sum. If The Pilots bona
fide subscription hst,-those to whom the
paper is sent because they want it, and
who show this by keeping their subscrip-
ton paid up,-if such a list, and not a
stuffed" one, is not two times greater
than The Times list, with like modifca-
tons; if the job work done by The Pilot
Office is not four times as great for the
year 1887 as that of The Times; if The
Pilots subscription list In Osman is not
as great as The Times list in any two
offices in the county outside the cities: if
the amount received for advertising bv
The Pilot during the year 1897 is not
three times as great as that received by
The Times for The same period: if the pa
per bills OF The Pilot for 1887 are not
four times those of The Times for the
same year, then The Pilots 500 to be
expended in any public charity which
the custodian may choose. II The Times
loses, a like disposition to be made OF its
500.
We crave the pardon of our readers for
devotlng SO much space to this matter,
but feel justified because of the peculiar
character of the business methods OF The
Times, not in footing" its own horn
which is pardonable, though boyish, but
IN the contemplate proceeding of its ed
ltor's visiting business houses and decry-
ing his competitors. All we can say to
our patrons is: IL it does not pay you to
advertise with us you are very foolish to
do so. Our subscription list is open to
you and il Is for Won to determine Mheth-